The Monster You Shouldn't Fear And Your First IT Certification Experience
There's a scary monster out there for first time IT certification takers.
Boo!
Did I scare you?
I know I missed Halloween with this issue by like 3 months but I wanted to drop some knowledge on how your first IT certification will play out. It was revealed to me that a lot of people know taking an IT cert like the CompTIA Net+ is good…
BUT!
They have no clue what the process looks like to actually take it.
This article will talk about setting up your Network+ certification exam but the process is similar (if not the same) for other certifications.
Here’s your options for how to take the exam, pros and cons of each and the monster you shouldn’t fear during your first exam.
It all starts with…
…buying a testing voucher. For CompTIA this can be done by going to the CompTIA store (store.comptia.com) and dropping down the “Certification Vouchers” tab in the navbar. Under the “Core” section you’ll see Network+.
If you click it you’ll see an option to buy a Network+ voucher. Click Details.
You have 4 options available. The three options below or buying just the exam voucher by itself:
I’m a fan of buying just the voucher or the Basic Bundle. Here’s why:
Buying just the voucher is the cheapest. It’s all you need to sit for the exam.
I like the Basic Bundle only because it comes with a retake voucher. The study guides are a bonus but the retake voucher is where the real value is. You are paying an extra $104 for peace of mind.
That $104 reduces stress a bunch for a first time IT certification test taker. It’s your lifeline. If you screw up on the exam you don’t have to pay the full $358 again.
Paying another $114 for the Exam Prep bundle doesn’t seem worth it to me. You can buy a high quality course and six practice tests at Udemy for less than $40. Combine that with free test taking phone apps and you have all you need.
Got the extra dough to spend though? The CertMaster Practice doesn’t hurt. It’s just not a must-have. I certainly don’t think you need to drop over $1k for the CertMaster Learn + Labs.
With Your Voucher In Hand…
…go to login.comptia.org. Create a CompTIA account now if you haven’t done so yet. You will see this right after you sign in for the first time:
I doubt I have to say it but click the “Schedule Now” button. It may ask you to update information like your name and email. If not it will redirect you to PearsonVUE.
Once at PearsonVUE you will see a list of exams. It’ll look like this:
Find the exam you have a voucher for. In this example it would be the Network+ exam. The current version of the exam at time of writing is N10-008, so select that version:
And this is where you have to make your decision. To take at a test center or not to take at a test center.
Let’s discuss the options and the pros + cons of each.
Option 1: Testing Online At Your Home or Office
Selecting to take the exam online at your home or office let’s you take the exam from anywhere that has a valid network connection.
Pros:
✔️ You can take from the comfort of your own home or office
✔️ You can usually schedule 3-days before you want to take the exam. Sometimes you can schedule to take it on the same day.
✔️ You don’t have to worry about driving a long distance to get to a test center
Cons:
❌ You must be certain you will have a stable network connection the entire time
❌ You must take the exam in a quiet area. This may be difficult if you have a loud family, siblings or kids
❌ You must have a webcam so a proctor can watch you through it
❌ The testing software you have to run isn’t perfect and freezes leading to stressful situations
❌ You have to clean off your desk and remove all posters in the room. You have to take pictures of your surrounding area and submit them before you can start the exam
I listed a lot of cons here but I took my CompTIA Network+ and Security+ online from home.
For me it was ideal because I have a solid networking connection, was living alone at the time and already had a webcam. I did run into an issue with my test freezing but it was resolved in 5 minutes by my proctor and I got my time refunded.
But for my CISSP exam I scheduled to take it at a test center. Let’s see what that looks like.
Option 2: Testing At A Testing Center
Taking your IT certification exam at a testing center removes many of the cons from taking the exam online.
Pros:
✔️ You don’t have to worry about a bad internet connection.
✔️ You don’t need your own equipment or webcam. You just show up.
✔️ The testing center has everything set up for you already.
✔️ No need to worry about noise.
Cons:
❌ You may not have a testing center close to you, so you’ll have to drive 30+ minutes
❌ Scheduling is based on the testing center’s availability. You may have to schedule 7+ days ahead
I would pick a test center if I had to choose. It eliminates any worries.
Internet goes out? Testing centers problem.
Exam freezes? Testing centers problem.
Suspected of cheating? Easy to fight because the testing center people check you before they let you into the contained testing center.
Testing center is the way to go if you are within a 60-minute drive of one.
You made your choice. Now the last part of your experience…
…is actually taking the certification exam.
Do not feed the monster. Do not give into it. It is there to cause despair and derail you from your path.
Who is the monster?
Your own self doubt.
I hear it over and over again. “I was in the exam and felt like I was failing the entire time so I just gave up.”
It’s a common feeling that everyone gets. Just keep going. You studied for the exam. You took practice tests. You tried your hardest to prep, right?
If you did then just do what you know. Fight that freaking monster the entire time. By the end you’ll be saying this instead: “I was in the exam and felt like I was failing the entire time, but I just kept going and I PASSED.”
Wrapping Up
I hope this was helpful.
Taking your first IT certification exam can be a stressful experience so it is my goal to make it as smooth for you as possible. I remember floundering a bit to make sure that I scheduled correctly because I didn’t want to spend $350+ and buy the wrong thing.
Use this post to get started with your first IT cert exam.
Good luck and big stuff coming up!
Stay tuned…
Tanuki